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A Study of the Relationship of Vergil to Homer

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A Study of the Relationship of Vergil to Homer Eastern Illinois University The Keep Plan B Papers Student Theses & Publications 8-1-1957 A Study of the Relationship of Vergil to Homer Frances Russell Danforth Follow this and additional works at: https://thekeep.eiu.edu/plan_b Recommended Citation Danforth, Frances Russell, "A Study of the Relationship of Vergil to Homer" (1957). Plan B Papers. 29. https://thekeep.eiu.edu/plan_b/29 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Theses & Publications at The Keep. It has been accepted for inclusion in Plan B Papers by an authorized administrator of The Keep. For more information, please contact [email protected]. r A STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP OF VERGIL TO HOMER L _J A STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP OF VERGIL TO HOMER A Substantial P<?Per Presented to the Department of Foreign Language Eastern Illinois State College In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science in Education by Frances Russell Danforth August 1957 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. INTRODUCTION . • • • • • • 1 Purpose of Paper • • • • • • • • • • • • • • l Method of Approach • • • • • • • 1 II. CONTROVERSY ON PUBLICATION OF AENEID • 2 Macro bius . 2 Rascoe . 3 Conning ton • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 4 III.PURPOSE OF EPICS ••••••••••••••• 5 Aeneid of Vergil • • • . 5 Iliad and Odyssey of Homer • . 7 IV. DIFFERENCES IN FOR.i~ ••••• . 8 Style . 8 Verse Form • . 9 v. COMPARISON WITH INCIDENTS OF ODYSSEY • • • • • 12 Setting . 12 Introduction of Heroes • • • . 13 Storm • . • • • . • • • • • • • 13 Prayer of Heroes • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 14 Escape from Storm • • • • • • • • • • • • • 15 Narrative of Travels . • • • . 16 Departure of Heroes • • . 17 Trip to Hades • • • • . 18 Religious Attitudes . 20 iii CHAPTER PAGE VI. COMPARISON WITH INCIDENTS OF ILIAD • . • • • 24 Attitude of Heroes . • • • • 24 Doom of Turnus &nd Hector . • • . • • 25 Death of Turnus end Hector . • 25 Preparation for Single Combat . • 26 Interference of Gods • • • • • • • • • • • 28 Shields of Heroes • • • • • • • • • • • • • 29 Friendship • • • • • • • • • • • • 30 Burial • • • . • • . •• 31 Repudiation . • • 32 Funeral Games • • • . • • • 33 Brutality of Soldiers . • • • • 34 VII. USE OF SIMILE • • • • . •• 36 Wind and Storms . • • • 36 Trees . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 38 Star . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 39 Fire • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • 40 Bees . • 41 VIII. OPINIONS OF AUTHORITIES ••••••••••• 43 Mackail • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 43 Connington • • • • • • • • . • 43 Vergil . • • . • 44 ii ii CHAPTER PAGE IX. INFLUENCES OF VERGIL'S LIFE AND BACKGROUND 45 Character of Roman People • • • • • • • • 45 Education of Vergil • • • • • • • • • • 45 x. INFLUENCES OF PAST IN VARIOUS AREAS • • • • 46 Epic in Different Eras • • • . 46 Adaptations by Shakespeare ••• . 47 Bible as Literary Source . 48 Appropriations in Other Fields • • • 49 XI. CONCLUSION • . •..••••••. 52 BIBLIOGRAPHY • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 53 CHAPTER I INTROIJtJCTION I. PURPOSE This paper is a stucy to determine whether vergil was a mere copyist or a poet who made use of the basic structure of the epic as created by Romer, but, stamping it with his own ability and genius, left for posterity a vork as great in its ollll right as that of Romer. II. .METHOD UF APPROACH Through a study of the similarities and the differ­ ences between the epics of the two poets and from the references of various authorities, this paper will attempt to arrive at some conclusions concerning the relationship of the two poets. CHAPTE.tt II CONTROVERSY ON PUBLICATION OF AENEIV Soon after the death of vergil, the Aeneid vas pub­ lished at the command of the princeps Augustus, although the poet himself had desired the work to be destroyed since it was not the polished perfection he desired. Immediately the greatness of this literary work became a controversial issue among the critics. Nettleship states that Macrobius and other enemjes accused him of plagiarism from Homer while his friends defended him by quoting passages which, in their estimation, were an im- 1 provement on Homer. I. .lUCHUBIUS Macrobius wrote: Perge quaeso, inquit Avienus, omnia quae Homero subtraxit investigare. Quid enim suavius quam duos praecipuos vates audire idem loquentes. Quia cum tria haec ex aequa impossibilia judicentur, vel Iovi fulmen vel Herculi clavam vel versum .H.omero subtrahere, quod e\s1 tieri possent, alium tam.en nul.lua deceret vel fulmen praeter Iovem jacere vel eertare praeter Herculem robore, vel canere quod cecinit Homerus: hie opportune in opus suum quae prior vates dixerat transferendo fecit ut sua es~e credantur. Ergo pro voto omnium feceris s1 cum hoc coetu communicata velis quaecumque vestro noster poeta mutuatus est. 1H. Nettleship, Vergil tNew York: v. Appleton and Company, 1901),p. 84. 3 Cedo igitur Eustathius a1t, vergilianum volumen, quia locos singulos ejus inspiciens Homericorum versuum promptius adaonebor. CUmque Sym.achi jussu famulus ae bibliotheca petitum librum detulisset, temere voluit Eustathius ut versus quod fors detulisset inspiceret et viaete, inquit, portum ad civitatem uiaonis eJC Ithaca migrantem. Et cum rogasset Avtsnus ut non sparsim sect ab initio per ordinem actnotaret, 111~ manu retractis in calcem foliis sic exorsus est. Here Eustathius cites a series of quotations from the first to the eleventh book of the Aeneid and draws comparisons with liomer. II. RASCOE This attack has been carried on oy various groups of detractors down to the present day, exemplified especially by Burton Rascoe in our time. The criticisms of vergil found in Rascoe's Titans of .Literature provide the basis for a portion .Qf this p~ver. The writer m'elltioned above stated that the Aeneid was unsatisfactory as an epic even though most of the material was borrowed from Homer and other Gree~ writers.J Kan.1 centuries previously Homer bad establ.ished the epic as a form of literature. Through the ages his writings 2Ambro~i1 Theodosi~ ~aorobii, Conviviorum Primi uiei Saturnalio~um., v 1 11~, pp 16-19. ~ 3~urton Rascoe, ~tans of Literature taew York: G.P Putnam•s Sons, 1932), p. 116. ~ 4 were the only authority for life of the heroic period. When Vergil decided to produce an epic for Rome, it was only logical that he should turn to the master of the epic and pattern his creation to a certain extent after Homer. The ancient writers were not interested in original- 1 ty in the sense that we use it in our times, but desired to produce a literary work which would be a product of the poet who wrote it and accepted by the people who react it. III. CONNINGTO.N Connington, speaking in regard to this cry of plagiar­ ism, stated that imitation of external qualities was then not a thing to be avoided and concealed but to be openly adopted. The extent to which the imitator approached the excellence of the model constituted the eminence of his success.4 4 George Long (ed), I!!! Works of Vergil (London: George Bell and Sons, 1884, II), John Connington, ncommentary,n pp. 23-4. CHAPTER III PURPOSE OJ.I' EPICS Let us now consider the motives which prompted the creation of these epics. Rascoe expressed the opinion that the Aeneid was merely a political tract to enhance Augustus and flatter the vanity of the Romans. He likewise stated that vergil was attempting to gll!llllorize the opportunistic culture of Rome. 1 I. AENEIU In his student days Vergil had expressed the desire to write of men and wars but did not seriously consider the subject until influenced by M.aecenas, patron of a literary coterie during the reign of Augustus. Hotn Aaecenas and Augustus deemed that a poem, epic in nature, extolling the glories of Rome and the achievements of Augustus was sorely neede4 at this time. Rome had been in a state of upheaval for the past century. Great men had stalked across the pages of her history onl7 to De obliterated and replaced by others. In t.heir wake had followed wars, both foreign and civil. Augustus had finally brought peace to the Roman world by defeating Anthony at the battle of Actium. He l · Rascoe, .2£· .£!.h, p. 118. 6 now desired to turn the Roman mind and spirit to cultural ~ather than military pursuits. The project of writing a national epic on some subject connected with Augustus's achievements seems to have been brought to the attention of every poet of any ability. vergil was the only poet with the desire or power to respGnd to this call. Frank expressed the opinion that the years of civil 'WB.r had made a lasting impression on the pacific spirit of vergil. To produce an epic poem depicting the glories would help to allay this deep abhorrence of war antt would be a supreme achievement for vergil. 2 Vergil expressed his feelings in the words ot Anchises to AEilneas: Hae tibi erunt artes: paceque imponere morem, Parcere subjectis et debellare superbos. (VI,852-53) 3 It was evident that Vergil was writing to arouse Roman patriotism and to create a national spirit of pride. The hero of the epic should possess the qualities of a Homan ideal with very subtle but unmistakable hints that this ideal was Augustus. fo produce a work of this nature entail­ ed a deep feeling of nationalism on the part of vergil, a 2 Tenney Frank, vergil (.New York: Henry ttolt ana. Company, 1922), p. 197. 3J. w. aackail, ?he Aeneid (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1930), p. 250. 7 great belief in the achievements of Rome and a strong faith that her future would be one of continued glory. Rascoe seemed to lose sight of the fact that idealists can and do exist in rather materialistic nations, a fact Vhich is true even in our own country. From a study of the life of Vergil, one does not find an indivi­ dual who was eagerly seeking means of glorifying himself but one who found fulfillment in writing of the things he knew and loved. II. ILIAD AND ODYSSEY On the contrary the primary purpose of Homer vas to entertain. His epics were flowing, descriptive tales of men, gods, and incidents of heroic calibre.
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